The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

CHAP. VII] OF SCOTLAND 307
a brother of Colin Fitzgerald, the alleged ancestor of the Mac-
kenzies, was the founder of the family. But this origin, as well
as those of the other clans derived from a Norman source
appears to have been altogether unknown previous to the
seventeenth century, and to be but little deserving of credit.
This clan has been omitted in the MS. of 1450, but the
two oldest genealogies of the family, of which one is the
production of the Beatons, who were hereditary sennachies of
the family, concur in deriving the clan Gille-eon from the same
race from whom the clans belonging to the great Moray tribe
are brought by the MS. of 1450. Of this clan the oldest seat
seems to have been the district of Lorn, as the}' first appear in
subjection to the lords of Lorn ; and their situation being thus
between the Camerons and Macnachtans, who were undoubted
branches of the Moray tribe, there can be little doubt that the
Macleans belonged to that race also. As their oldest seat was
thus in Argyll, while they are unquestionably a part of the tribe
of Moray, we ma)- infer that they
were one of those clans
transplanted from north Moray by Malcolm IV., and it is not
unlikely that Glenurchart was their original residence, as that
district is said to have been in the possession of the Macleans
when the Bissets came in.
The first of the family on whom tradition has fixed a name
is Gilleon, surnamed " ni tuoidh," from the word signifying a
battle-axe, which it appears was his favourite weapon. He is
said to have fought at the battle of Largs, but of his history
nothing whatever is known. In 1296 we find Gillemore Macilean
del Counte de Perth signing Ragman's Roll,' and as the county
of Perth at that time embraced Lorn, it is probable that this
was the son of Gilleon and ancestor of the Macleans. In the
reign of Robert the Bruce, frequent mention is made of three
brothers, John, Nigell, and Dofuall, termed Mac Gillion, or filii
Gillion, and they appear to have been sons of Gillemore, for we
find John designated afterwards Mac Molmari, or Mac Gillimore.
John Mac Gillimore had two sons, Lachlan Lubanich,
predecessor of the family of Dowart, and Eachin Reganich,
predecessor of that of Lochbuy. These brothers lived during
the reign of Robert II., and appear first as followers of the lord
of Lorn ; but a dispute having arisen between them and their